Ima Learner; Slaka Staff Depressed; Clear Heart

I am experiencing a steep & also exhilarating learning curve at the moment, & I love it. Feels very good & very natural, & my boss is happy with what I am doing.

The all-staff Slaka staff meeting today left many people depressed because of the infantile approach to work that some inexperienced folks take. I was ok though, mostly due to the workout this morning that cleared out my heart.

I will make a good effort to workout tomorrow morning too.

Shakespeare!; Lights! Camera! Action!

It was fun *:-) I hosted a pretty famous Shakespearean actor/artistic director/producer today because Slaka hired him to do voice overs for our new phone system, & I was in charge of the recording process. His voice was excellent & just right for us. I enjoyed the 2.5 hours we spent together, and everyone is happy with voice overs *:-)

First Comic Turns Out Pretty Good; White Man

I am moving toward using comic books to get learning objects across to learners, & so I practiced by making a comic today, & it turned out pretty good. It has images of my grandchildren, & other stuff, & my wife is going to take a copy with her when she watches the grandkids tomorrow, & she can see if they, or the adults around, like it at all.

Yesterday my boss asked me to wear a white shirt to work at Slaka for today, & so I did. I nearly always wear black, & for some reason he wanted to see a change, so no worries, I did it. Then of course as soon as he saw me, he said, loudly, "hey, its a white man!" *:-) Ha Ha, not.

Slaka; Guacamole Tostada; Sick Colleague; Thank You Son

Slaka continues to be the place where I earn my living, & today was no different. Usual stuff.

For our ET group lunch, we chose our standby Mexican restaurant, & I ordered my standby guacamole tostada, hold the sour cream (sin crema), along with rice & beans. It was especially fresh, & quite good, & my tummy liked it too *:-)

Our IT Manager when home sick today, after 8 days of sinus pain & a strep condition. I am hopeful that I was not exposed to the strep while she was contagious.

My son's referral to the right person at the world's second largest Internet search company has paid off, because we have been contacted & they want to partner with us. Thank you, son *:-)

Return To Slaka; Wood Heat; Flying Rug; Mo 2Life

Ok then, it's back to Slaka on the 'morrow. I have no idea what the condition of my returning colleagues will be. I shall try to be fit and to wear my shiny black shoes proudly *:-)

My wife is happy. She is so happy that she is in our 3rd level sleeping room, laying in bed, uncovered, unclothed, & happily remarking on the fact that she is just a bit too hot *:-) Ah yes, heat does rise, doesn't it *:-) She has been lightly pestering me to start the winter's slog with our first fire in the wood stove, & I have been resisting it valiantly, but lost the battle today, when I had to admit that the low temperatures in all but 2 of the rooms of the house had gotten out of hand. Suffice it to say, that situation has changed dramatically, & I am actually breaking a sweat up here in my third floor office nook, writing this. The net of it all: My wife is happy *:-)

A large, quite beautiful, quite dutiful, quite suitable, hand-woven classic colorful rug has flown away from our grasp tonight. During a recent bout of my wife being bitten by spiders while she slept, she reacted by cleaning the hell out of the sleeping room, & one casualty was the long-serving rug on the floor of the sleeping room, because of possible tiny spider habitats. It is a very good, & quite valuable rug, & a friend of my wife's came up & took up my wife on the offer of giving it a new home. Tra-la *:-)

I have been given sustenance, assistance, & a personal tour in 2Life today, which helped me a great deal. I was also visited, without asking, by a very high personage in the Mentor clan, who gave me many things, asked me just one question, & after listening to my answer assured me that I will do very well in 2Life *:-) That is the second time I have been told that. Additional advice came in the form of a wise foretelling of how I shall proceed, which is "Let 2Life come to you". Ok then, I will *:-)

Wood; More Wood; Shoes Polished; More 2Life

Lots of rearranging of the wood piles & the wood processing area today. Cold weather is definitely here.

As a good bureaucrat, I made sure I polished both pairs of my bureaucratic black shoes today *:-)

I worked in 2ndLife again today, & can't figure out how to put on the new Italian shoes I bought. I ended up naked in a shopping mall for a little while, but I don't think anybody noticed *:-)

Happy Birthday; Flaky, Eurotrash Kite-Surfer?; 2nd Life

A very happy 2nd birthday to our granddaughter, & I saw some of the pictures (although I could not be there in person), & she looks happy & as though she had a good time. She is a sweetie, & I hope she did have fun.

I will soon get more information about my son-in-law, the one who threw me out of his home. The birth of his first child with my daughter as the mom is coming up, & I am interested to see which side of the scale he tips: On the one side, the label of "flaky, Eurotrash kite-surfer" would be accurate, & on the other side, the label of "loving father & loving husband" would be accurate. I know which one I am hoping for, but I will accept him whichever way he goes. The birthday party for my granddaughter was hosted at his house today, which is why I could not attend. I'll give it a year, & if things have improved, then I will consider entering his home again.

I got my avatar movin' today in 2nd life, in preparation for attending some webinars that I need to attend for the job I have. They only host them in 2nd life, which I think is cool. I learned a lot today moving the AV around & learning this and that.

Federal Penitentiary Loses Inmate; Ready For Winter; Excellent Chili; RTF Run

My wife's nephew has been released from the Federal Penitentiary where he had been sent up by the ATF. Details sketchy, but at least he is out *:-)

Today I completed the tarping, wood-burning stove prep, room safety set up, & related tasks, so that we can stay warm this winter. We have an excellent home for keeping cold out & warm in, & we have enough wood, for which we are grateful.

I had asked my wife to make some of her famous chili, & she did, & today I consumed 2 huge bowls all at one sitting, along with a little Jarlsburg cheese. Oh Yeah *:-) Excellent. Full. Will have some more tomorrow *:-)

Also made a dump run (the county calls the place the "Refuse Transfer Facility"), & because I made my run fairly early in the day, I did not have to wait in the long lines that sometimes happen before a holiday, because the place is closed on holidays.

Workies; South Africa; 2Life

On the job, & I mean on the job, like, really ON THE JOB, working, from 0745 straight thru to a solid 1945, with 50 minutes out for a run to the UPS shipping facility across town. No major negative incidents, or positive incidents either, & that is partly because only one of the 5 directors was in the office today, & the largest "difficult" employee (HR's word, not mine) is out of the office all week.

The trip to the UPS shipping facility was so that I could get the 2 telecom units on their way to the trans-shipping facility up north, where they will be forwarded on to South Africa to my colleagues there. Some of the products they need are not available to them within Europe & occasionally I help out. Glad to do it, for a couple reasons, one of which is part of a younger man's fantasy *:-)

2ndLife is occupying a bit of my time at the moment, & it is kind of cool that I need to learn about it as part of my job, so I can relax while learning. We still don't run 2ndLife during the regular workday because of the bandwidth required & because some of the happenings are unpredictable & may be NSFW. Something new *:-)

Workies; Cute Aprons; Power Washer; Safe Cats

I worked on Slaka projects today, & it is a good thing I did because I have several things due that will be embarrassing to my boss if I screw them up, so it is fortunate that I sat down & updated my "todo" list, which revealed several things I needed to do today. My offsite Internet access is not behaving as well as I would like since changing to Outlook, but I can send the emails that didn't get out, from my desk tomorrow morning. Nobody is working today anyway...wait...except me...& probably a few others *:-)

My wife made some really cute miniature aprons to use as carriers for the written blessings that she took to the "blessing way" that was held for our pregnant daughter today. Very cool.

My son picked up our gasoline powered pressure washer today so he can prepare his house for painting. This power washer rips the paint right off, & will cut right into your body if you point it at yourself or anyone else. I am hopeful that he will be careful.

The cats that my wife has been taking care of for a neighbor who was on vacation are all fine, and the neighbor is back. The one we couldn't find last night, which worried us a little, was hiding ON THE ROOF of the house where it lives, & came down when its owner got back...the little prick...

Not Bad; 950 More To Hit; Very Nice Day & Time; Thrown Out

Hit some decent shots off the driving range platform today, not bad for my first time with the new iron that I just got, that is a type not commonly used or found. I know that for me, it takes about 1000 practice shots with each new club until I pown it, & I did about 50 today, leaving 950 to go, so I am planning to get several buckets of balls at the driving range over the next few weeks to get that club under control so I can enjoy the game more. I also got a glove, & a cap to keep the sun off, because I have rosacea, & need to stay out of the bright sun. There were 5 of us, & we had a very nice time & the weather was sweet.

Interesting, & actually quite appropriate, experience for me this evening. My wife called me just as I was leaving work, & described a situation that seemed to need me to participate in negotiating a compromise solution among my wife, my daughter, & my daughter in law, so with my wife's concurrence, I stopped off at my daughter's home on the way after work. Well, my son in law was there too, & his opinion about me being needed was...how shall I say it...180 degrees out from mine *:-) He escorted me out of the house, off the property, & told me not to bother his wife (my daughter) about the subject again, since she is only a few weeks away from giving birth & is extremely fragile. I did not resist at all, and am actually very very glad that he is finally taking full responsibility for my daughter, which is exactly what he is supposed to do as her husband. This is a strong message that my own freedom from the entanglements of family is becoming more real, & that makes me happy *:-)

Golf Tomorrow; Hard Hat Today

Tomorrow is the golf day that I have been preparing for, although I didn't get a chance to do any preparing *:-) Our boss is calling it a "meeting" & so we all had to submit agenda items that we will "discuss" during the meeting, which will actually be held on a local driving range where we will each hit a bucket of balls, & then after that have lunch in the course club house restaurant. I am planning on enjoying it.

I was issued my official backpack with the Disaster Prep equipment in it today after the kick off meeting, & I am now an official member of the committee. Definitely a higher level of visibility for me & I believe I did well & got along with everybody. Not sure how much work it will be yet.

Slaka Hears A Sermon; I Found It!; Schedule Change

The HR people came over & gave us all a required talk today on the evils of telecommuting, or at least the perceived evils. Some of the most irresponsible employees are not allowed to telecommute, so because they are pissed off they are petitioning to have all telecommuting canceled on the basis of "equal treatment". Because our organization is infantile & has no management, the 3 of us who telecommute one day a week suspect that we will be forced to give it up. Fuck 'em, I can roll with it.

I have an important meeting tomorrow, the first for my new duty, & it is at a building on the campus of the University of Blueberry Syrup that I have never been to, so on my lunch hour today I reconnoitered its location & actually went inside, where I quickly observed a much higher level dress code than I am currently using, so I will take two sets of clothing tomorrow, one for the normal part of the day working in Slaka, & then a change for the meeting at High-Class Harry's.

The two activities on this Friday which were going to require a great deal of energy from me have changed. One was cancelled, through no fault of mine, & the other has been shortened by half, & is being kept local instead of 25 miles away, so it won't be nearly as difficult. I am glad.

Slaka; Just Listening; Golf Clubs

Our workplace has been very recently blessed with two new energetic high level directors, one above the other, & both are above the still missing local director that we have been waiting for since late 2006. Based on the parallels with a dvd my wife & I recently watched, I have given the newly vitalized, but still insane office workplace the name "Slaka", for a mythical country where life is similar to that in the office I work in. The name "South Swamp" will still be appropriate for a while too, until the local director question gets sorted.

We have an important assignment coming up in late November, & it is one that I have handled for the last couple years, but with the recent reorg, it is time to hand off the responsibility to a colleague. My boss has chosen the colleague, who reports to a different director, & we met today to discuss the plan. The new person said that she has been instructed by her director to "just sit and listen" at the 2 day, all-expenses-paid-by-the-host symposium. That behavior will irritate the hell out of the hard-working, long-suffering team that invited us so I made that perfectly clear to my boss & now I am letting go of it.

The new golf clubs came today, & although they are 3 days late, I like them so I won't bother with the ritual complaints, which of course won't do any good because the shipping company always says "we had a new driver on & he couldn't find your address way up in the mountains". Oh well. The putter is the yellow-handled Ray Cook "Blue Goose 3", & looks very good. The One Shot Chipper is the Ray Cook "Classic Plus Chipper", & it will be a new experience for me since they did not use these the last time I tried to play golf. The round is this Friday afternoon, & I haven't gotten to practice at all, but I suspect I will enjoy it.

Kid Stuff; Internal Change Manifests In External Change; New Assignment

We've been hangin' with our grandkids as much as possible over the Veteran's Day holiday, & that was really worth it. I am a veteran & there have actually been a few (very few) people who have offered me their thanks for putting my life on the line for what we get to do here in the USA, & I have been taught by my Native American friends that it IS appropriate to honor the warriors who face the fight, so I am grateful for whatever thanks I get.

We've had some difficult emotional times in the last few days, & that is resolved for the moment, & has resulted in us moving furniture & trying some new arrangements in the way we use our home, so I am hopeful that the turmoil was worth it. I agree with Carolyn Myss who says "...we are actually more afraid of change than we are of death".

I have a new (additional) assignment at the University of Blueberry Syrup which will catapult me into the mainstream campus heirarchy, outside of the very small sub-organization that I work for, & I am hopeful that this is a good thing. It will mean lots of work of course, but I am seeking that so no complaints here.

Tyke Tuckered; Golf Clubs Ordered; DVR For Wife

I did not realize how tired I had become due to the energy needed to entertain & keep up with my granddaughter during the lunchtime we had together yesterday. I was tuckered by the tyke, & I will be better prepared next time *:-)

Well, I did it. Our first company golf outing is a week from tomorrow, & I gave my clubs away a long long time ago, & none of my kids have any I can borrow, so I purchased just two clubs, which is all I will be purchasing. I bought a putter, & I bought something called a "one-shot chipper" which is supposed to be a combo club that works as everything from a 3-iron to a 9-iron & sand wedge. I will be using only these two clubs, which I have been told is a new trend for those, like me, who just golf because the "team" is. I actually hope to beat the other players with these. Naive? Naw... *:-)

My wife has discovered a possible solution & an exciting opportunity that needed the help of a digital voice recorder (dvr), & so she found the one she wanted & then I picked it up for her this evening on my way home from work & I hope she gets to do good work with it.

Lights On, Shocking Revelation; Golf Tourney 11/16; Granddaughter At Noon; Out The Door At 5

Today I started my new gig time from 8 am to 5 pm, & since I wasn't sure about how the traffic would be flowing, I left a little early & also arrived before 8 am, & since I have a key to get in the building, I was the first one in. Usually, when I would arrive at 9 in the past, the overhead florescent lights would still be off, & those who were at work would be just kind of chatting or puttering about or chilling in their dark cubes. Not today *:-)) I turned all the lights on at max intensity & made sure all the copiers, printers, etc. were actually on & running, like, you know, a place of work. What a shock it was to those who arrived to see that the place they have been coming to is actually a place of work, not an extension of their comfortable homes. I enjoyed it *:-) My colleague, the IT manager, who comes in at 8:30, really liked the story & encouraged me to continue.

Well, as I predicted, I will actually be playing some golf on Friday, 11/16 *:( I don't know how these things happen. Its ok, & it is a "team building" activity although with all the financial audits going on we will probably have to pay the $7 course fee ourselves, although we may get lunch or something, & of course we get the time out of the office, & the fun that goes with it. Its cool, no worries.

Our daughter in law brought the grandkids up to the house here in town, the house they are selling, & so my wife & I got some time with the kids, & I had a very good time with my granddaughter, out in the back yard, chasing each other, shaking leaves off the trees, listening to the iPod, & generally goofing around. She cried when we had to leave, since we both work in the afternoon, but she is already extra upset because of all the instability, & it is part of her life experience anyway, but it was hard to leave. I am grateful to have had the time with her, & a little time with her brother too.

Ok then. My first official day as a 100% bureaucrat, & I did well. I was out the door by 5:03 pm. Good on me then *:-)

Total Bureaucrat Effective Immediately *:-)

Ok, so today I changed my schedule so that I work 8-5 from Monday thru Friday. OMG, its true. I am like so totally a bureaucrat now, & the conversion only took 2 weeks just like I thought it would. I changed my office so that it looks very "bureau", & with my shiny black shoes, the response to me has changed. Some folks are even motivated to salute, which is a characteristic that I have that some people respond to. I have no idea where this is all going to lead, but I feel very strongly it is the right choice for me.

Our new grandson went home tonight for the very first time, which is very cool *:-) We know that the new mom & dad are going to be very tired for quite a while, & we will be going over on Saturday to check him out. I haven't seen him yet.

The neighbor lady's car caught on fire, or at least overheated to where she got scared enough to call the fire department, which caused a little concern for us, but the fire people drove it away, so hey, all is well *:-)

7 Pounds + 13 Ounces, & Beautiful To Boot *:-)

OK then *:-)

Grandchild #3 for my wife & I. We are blessed with a grandson born last night and both baby & ma are doing well, & the dad seems to be ok too *:-)

My wife went over & checked him out today, & pronounced him "really, really cute" which is a good start in life for him *:-) This is our youngest son's first born, & we hope my son & his wife grow right along with the little fellow.

He, & they, have our love.

Daughter-In-Law In Labor; Shiny Shoes; Kid Prep

Another of our daughters-in-law went into labor a few hours ago, & we suspect we will have another grandchild soon. My wife will go over to the hospital birthing room tomorrow morning, but since I am an hourly employee, & have not requested the time off as vacation ahead of time, I would lose money if I went, so I will wait until the weekend to check the kid out.

As a good bureaucrat, I shined both pairs of my good black shoes today, & so am ready for the week *:-) This may be a rather boring 8 years, but hey...

Our own daughter is due pretty soon too, so my wife is busy preparing for all grandkids we already have, & for the ones on the way.

Outlook; DVDs

I spent the day migrating my 1.5 years of un-archived emails, with attachments, from Eudora to Outlook. We have been mandated to be 100% Outlook, & since I am part of the ET group, it was considered "bad form" that I hadn't migrated yet *:-) I got it all done, & hopefully the bosses will recognize me more easily in my Microsoft uniform.

Because of the time change ("fall back") we watched a ton of DVDs this evening, & so my eyes are suffering & it is off to palming them I go.

Friday's At South Swamp; Son With Kids; Apron Hangs Waiting

As a professional bureaucrat reawakening my bureaucrat skill set, I now work in the office at South Swamp all five days per week instead of using Fridays as a TeleWork day. This has had two immediate effects that were visible today: first, the two bitchy girls who don't really work, & are gone out of the office a lot of the time, & have been using Fridays to bad mouth me for not being in the office, have had to shut up, & it was a real pleasure seeing the looks on their faces over the last 3 weeks as they begin to realize that they can't say shit about me teleworking anymore *:-) They have been written up by local management for their unprofessional work habits, but they are both in tight with the local biggie, so nothing will happen to them, & besides, remember the definition of a bureaucracy that I provided a few days ago *:-) I will get better at this, & perhaps my wife will calm down about it & realize that I am not the most desirable potential employee anymore because of my age, & that since I want to keep working at a decent job for another 8 years, that I am trying everything I can that I think will make that come true *:-(

My son, who now commutes a very long way at the end of the week to be with his family during their temporary separation due to trying to sell their house, called us & he is safely with his family where they are staying, & can spend the weekend with them. That is good.

A very cute little girl's apron hangs close to our bed in the master bedroom, waiting until it can be delivered to our granddaughter *:-)

Bureaucrat; Easy Does It; Hang In There

I hope to stick out the job I have now for 8 more years, if possible, with only external events out of my control requiring a change. I have started to practice perfect bureaucratic behavior, & so far, so good.

I hope to proceed slowly, & make it easy to adapt to what I now realize is what South Swamp has become. Not as big a deal as it sounds, its just a job.

I will hang in there as long as I can, perhaps even longer than 8 years *:-)

Our grandkids are neat, & we miss them.